Familiar Detective
With an art style similar to that of anime classic Doraemon and ongoing series Osomatsu-san, this detective adventure is sure to keep you guessing. Murders on Budapest is from Buff Studio, known for other visual novels like Underworld Office and Argo’s Choice. Players take the role of Doyle, a detective lost in the mountains who stumbles across a group of hikers. They eventually seek shelter at a massive estate, but when they try to leave, one of them is murdered. With the game claiming to be ‘an unpredictable mystery,’ Doyle needs to figure out who the killer is before they all end up dead.
Complete logic mini games to find clues and narrow down the suspect list. The kinds of mini games vary from RPG to arcade, implying there’s little chance of getting bored. The title is essentially a choose your own adventure, with multiple routes and endings to uncover. Murders on Budapest is an easy read and claims to pay homage to famous mystery writers like Agatha Christie. Coupled with bits of humor, this visual novel aims to break away from the typical mystery novel clichés. Time will tell if those lofty claims are true, or if they were all overhyped.
Recently released globally, Murders on Budapest is available on both Android and iOS. It can be played for free, though the premium version costs $6.99 to play. It’s unclear what the difference is between the free and premium versions at this time. Be on the lookout for a review from Hardcore Droid.
